HYDERABAD: Sleuths of the Jubilee Hills Zone Task Force, along with Banjara Hills police, busted an illegal LPG cylinder racket on Monday and arrested 10 persons, including an HP gas dealer, for illegally storing 414 cylinders in a graveyard and selling them in the black market at inflated prices. Police said the accused were selling each commercial cylinder for around Rs 6,000, against the official price of Rs 2,000.
The main accused, Mohd Aamir (42), runs an HP gas agency at Mamidipalle in Shamshabad, with an office near the Afzalgunj bus stop. He, along with Nalla Pochamma temple president Ram Raj Singh (54), drivers Rajesh (36) and Mohd Muntaz Ansari (35), labourers Mohd Minaj Ansari (42) and Mohd Sakruddin (42), delivery staff Mohd Yousuf (32), Mohd Ismail (27), A Rama Rao (42), and Lok Kumar (24), allegedly carried out the illegal trade in violation of safety norms.
DCP (Task Force) Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath said the accused were dumping gas cylinders in a graveyard and selling them at exorbitant rates. During a raid at the graveyard near Nagarjuna X Road in Banjara Hills, police seized 414 cylinders, including 30 full 47-kg, 148 full 19-kg, 192 empty 19-kg, 35 full 5-kg and nine empty 5-kg cylinders, valued at `21.88 lakh.
Police also seized 11 vehicles — two DCM vehicles, two Bolero vehicles and seven small commercial vehicles — used for transportation.
The DCP said a detailed report has been submitted to the Civil Supplies department seeking cancellation of the accused persons’ licences. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
He added that some individuals were exploiting the West Asia conflict to spread misinformation on WhatsApp and social media about a shortage of petroleum products and LPG cylinders. The DCP urged the public not to believe such rumours.